1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers for receiving therein food articles to be maintained at a substantially constant temperature. More particularly, the present invention relates to a container for receiving therein food articles to be maintained at a substantially constant temperature, wherein the container includes a removable insert defining a plurality of discrete storage regions within the container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermally-insulated containers, such as coolers, ice chests and the like, are generally known in the prior art to provide a portable storage device for food articles, such as milk or other dairy products, sandwich meat, carbonated beverages, or the like, whereby the food articles may be deposited therein, surrounded by a cooling agent, such as an ice block, a supply of ice cubes, or the like, and maintained at a substantially constant temperature to prevent spoilage thereof. It is therefore desirable to provide a container for receiving and storing therein a plurality of food articles, whereby the food articles are maintained at a substantially constant temperature.
Oftentimes, the container simply defines a single storage chamber, into which both the food articles and the cooling agent are deposited and permitted to loosely intermingle, whereby the food articles and the cooling agent substantially contact one another to provide optimum cooling of the food articles by the cooling agent. An individual typically first deposits the food articles within the container and then deposits the cooling agent into the remaining space of the container between and around the food articles. For example, ice cubes, which typically include small dimensions, are thereby permitted to fall loosely above, between and around the food articles to contact each food article on numerous surfaces thereof, thereby providing the desired cooling. It is therefore desirable to provide a container for receiving and storing therein a plurality of food articles, whereby the food articles are permitted to directly contact a cooling agent to maintain a substantially constant temperature.
However, permitting the food articles to loosely intermingle and contact the cooling agent oftentimes prevents an individual from removing one food article for use and replacing it in the exact location from which it was removed. For example, a milk carton, which has been deposited within the container and is surrounded on numerous sides by ice cubes, will not be permitted to return to its original location after a first removal thereof therefrom. Once the milk carton is removed a first time, the ice cubes which theretofore surrounded the milk carton, will fall freely into the space created by the absence of the milk carton. This is particularly troublesome when the article of food is of the type designed for bulk storage and repeated use, such as, for example, a milk carton, a 2-liter bottle of carbonated beverage, or the like. Thus, it is desirable to provide a container for receiving and storing therein a plurality of food articles, wherein the food articles may be removed therefrom and replaced therein in substantially the same location.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,988 to Petrantoni teaches a chambered cooler having a plurality of rigidly-formed baskets having predefined shapes and being removably positioned therein for receiving articles of food respectively therein and for segregating the articles of food received in one basket from the articles of food received in another basket. However, it is further desirable to provide a container for receiving and storing therein a plurality of food articles, wherein the container is provided with a removable insert, and wherein the removable insert includes a plurality of connectable wall segments adaptable to define a plurality of shapes thereby. It is even further desirable to provide a removable insert for use in a container for receiving and storing therein a plurality of food articles, wherein the removable insert includes a plurality of connectable wall segments adaptable to define a plurality of shapes thereby.